It was a bit surprising to discover that some of the rivers proposed for Wild and Scenic designation were dried up or creeks, streams or gulches — not really rivers at all.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not vanished.
A tip of the hat to the organizers of the recent Pendleton Whisky Music Fest event at the Pendleton Round-Up Grounds.
Before the pandemic, the Oregon Employment Department answered 90% of its calls within five minutes.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has spent on average 1.1% of state highway funds on pedestrian and bicycle improvements over the last 30 years. At that rate, it would take the state 15…
At least at first glance, the idea that police departments should be abolished in favor of other methods of protection seems so counterintuitive, it’s difficult to know where to begin.
A tip of the hat to Blue Mountain Wildlife for its continued dedication to the welfare of our feathered friends, especially during the recent extreme heat that blanketed much of the Pacific No…
Al Davis, the manager of the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center deserves a lot of praise for his actions last week. As temperatures climbed, he made the decision to open the facility so peo…
We have made a point to bring up the danger from range and forest fires before on this page and in this space, but as the temperatures climb the risk bears repeating.
With the Fourth of July holiday looming, it is easy to forget just how close the whole American independence effort came to failure.
If you are a newcomer to Oregon and yearn for booze, you learn quickly that you can only buy hard liquor in state liquor stores.
On the COVID-19 front last week, it was more good news, bad news, but the glimmer of hope in terms of reopening the state is now a full-fledged spotlight and that should bring some relief to us all.
A tip of the hat to anyone trying to help everyone stay healthy through the intense heat wave that started this weekend.
Some high school graduates are proficient in calculus while others struggle with algebra.
There never seems to be much good news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, but the information that new data shows the infection continues a gradual decline in the county should be encouraging.
A kick in the pants to Lifeways for its attacks on Community Counseling Solutions.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office audits tell us what we know but need to be reminded about: State government makes mistakes with money.
Some called it an historic moment, but the expulsion of Rep. Mike Nearman from the Oregon House of Representatives really was more about making a clear statement regarding unbecoming conduct b…
A tip of the hat to area high schools that already were teaching civics before Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill last week requiring all Oregon students to take a half-credit civics class before g…
Gov. Kate Brown’s plan for using a lottery giveaway to encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine got praise and criticism.
Choosing to make a sizable financial investment is never an easy decision for taxpayers, but the residents of Milton-Freewater who voted for a new police station in May made the right move.
A tip of the hat to efforts by Umatilla County officials to get in on the ground floor of federal funding for the CAHOOTS Act — Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets — a bill being prom…
Here’s an editorial for the people who work in Oregon government. They can be excused for not getting as wound up about government transparency as journalists or other members of the public do.
Oregon voters should feel pretty good about U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley’s ideas on forest management, concepts he discussed last week.
A tip of the hat to those who provide a stable, loving home for children in need.
If playing the lottery is your thing, you could soon get one more chance a week. The Oregon Lottery Commission will soon be voting whether to allow an additional Powerball drawing.
Last week, Oregon lawmakers made a good move toward greater transparency in government when they passed two bills connected to higher education.
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UNION COUNTY — Exhausted hikers and mountain bikers at the Mount Emily Recreation Area now can recharge in a new building at the edge of Caffeine Trail.
A kick in the pants to Umatilla County’s low voter turnout.
Sharing someone’s personal information with intent to harm them could soon get a person sued in Oregon. A bill in the Oregon Legislature would permit a lawsuit for what’s commonly called doxxing.
In the end, it is a shame that a few Oregon lawmakers were forced to resort to a little-known, and hardly used, rule to get a bill that addresses criminal sexual contact off the ice and moving…
A tip of the hat to the prospective of a Pendleton Round-Up in 2021.
We read something peculiar in the Malheur Enterprise: The board of a public development company has dictated that a family in Nyssa is forbidden to talk to the media if it wants up to $400,000…
It is dry out there.
A tip of the hat to efforts to preserve the Umatilla language, most recently by putting the Umatilla Language Dictionary online where it is accessible to anyone in the world.
Oregon state Sen. Mike Dembrow, D-Portland, has been noisy about the need for the Oregon Health Authority to be transparent about the COVID-19 data it releases.
It’s time for us all to rally together as Americans. It’s tragic that the COVID-19 vaccine is seen as a partisan weapon, rather than as the life-saving and economy-restoring tool that it actually is.
A tip of the hat to organ donors, their loved ones who support their choice and the medical professionals that facilitate such an invaluable gift.
Today we’d like you to draft a multimillion-dollar wish list and send it off to your Oregon state senator and state representative.
While these rules may be necessary, we are wary — as many are — of “temporary” permanent rules that are implemented without an expiration date.
Interest in running for elected office has been unusually high in Umatilla and Morrow counties this spring, and we are pleased to see voters in Pendleton School District have so many choices f…
There’s no question that during most school board races, many incumbents face no competition for their seats. This year, for whatever reason, that’s not the case in Hermiston with six candidat…
Pendleton will have an array of choices regarding where it can spend its share of the mammoth federal $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act.
A kick in the pants to the closure of Aspen Springs Psychiatric Hospital in Hermiston.
The reports from the Department of Human Services Critical Incident Review Team are some of the most heartbreaking things that the state of Oregon produces.
Oregon lawmakers did something good recently when they approved Senate Bill 513, a measure that requires high school students to complete one semester of civics before they graduate.
A tip of the hat to Umatilla County for moving down from high to moderate risk this week.
Now more than a year on, state legislators across the country are taking steps to check the nearly unlimited emergency powers governors have assumed to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Oregon Legislature is poised to approve yet another gun mandate and while the battle lines over such issues are clearly drawn, the real lesson for voters is they must remain involved and w…
A tip of the hat to Arbor Day activities, including communities’ spring cleanup events coming up soon and a giveaway of 1,500 trees in Hermiston sponsored by the city and the Rotary Club on Sa…
State Senate President Peter Courtney held a news conference before the 2021 legislative session to announce steps to keep the legislative process accessible to Oregonians.
Tax hikes are never popular in a nation founded on the principal of limited government, but occasionally a sacrifice from taxpayers is necessary.
A kick in the pants to everyone involved in the illegal dumping of radioactive waste in an Arlington landfill.
In crafting his plan for the removal of the dams on the lower Snake River, Rep. Mike Simpson has managed to forge consensus between farm, shipping and environmental interests on his idea. They…
Data accumulated by Umatilla County Health Department recently showed area Hispanic residents made up a disproportionately high number of COVID cases during the past year, raising troubling qu…
